The Lumbre is a chile with a kick. Grown in the famed Hatch region of New Mexico, this chile rates at around 35,000 Scoville Heat Units. Lumbre means fire in Spanish and this chile lives up to the name. Capsicum annuum is the scientific name of all varieties of New Mexican chiles, the variety names simply come from the way they have been cultivated or developed to grow and taste a specific way.

New Mexican chile enthusiasts border on obsession, what with eating them at pretty much every meal. The chile is the state’s official vegetable alongside the frijole, or pinto bean. They are both the official vegetable because according to the people of New Mexico, the two are inseparable. Residents of Hatch, New Mexico have a very special bond with their chiles. The Hatch chiles bring pride to the townsfolk, and boost the economy of Hatch and the surrounding areas.

Chile ristras are the strings of chiles seen hanging on homes and businesses during the height of the chile season. They can be organized in wreaths, hearts, or more typically in a simple, long line. They are strung together like this to optimize drying and preservation for future cooking. These can be used decoratively or the chiles can be removed by a few at a time for use in recipes. Often when used decoratively, they will be treated so they last longer and are no longer edible. Chiles may also be frozen to be preserved.

The Lumbre chile is unique to one farm, and was developed by Jim Lytle and Faron Lytle, a father son team of chile farmers. The powder is ground from the reddened, dried form of the Lumbre chile.

History of Lumbre Chile

While written documentation provides the information that chiles were brought to the area by Spanish explorers in the late 1580s, pre-Columbian trade routes suggest that there may have been an earlier introduction. This gives an interesting edge to the history of the Hatch chiles, since they have been there for as long as people have passed through the area. Chiles were always and will always be intrinsic to the people of the area.

To understand the Lumbre Chile, we must first delve into the history of Hatch New Mexico, Fabian Garcia, and the history of the Franzoy family.

Hatch New Mexico is a small village boasting a population of less than two thousand people. It is considered a “little pocket of heaven” for the people who live there. When tourists come, the locals make sure they leave with smiles and bags full of green Hatch chiles. The quiet farming town transforms over Labor Day weekend when the village comes alive with 20,000 plus people who come to enjoy the chiles at the Hatch Chile Festival. When someone new blows into town and tries to settle down, they are not considered assimilated until they have begun to crave the chiles of this area. In Hatch, you will find a sense of pride everywhere. Pride in the community, hard work, and especially in those Hatch chiles. Hatch is the self-proclaimed chile capital of the world, and New Mexico’s state question is “red or green?” referring to the color of the chile sauce eaten with each meal. Originally called Santa Barbara, and dubbed that in 1851, Hatch New Mexico got its current name from a general who had been a commander at Ft. Thorn. Ft. Thorn was the second attempt to settle the area after Santa Barbara’s residents had been run out by Native Americans of the Apache tribe. General Hatch successfully settled the land -third time’s a charm- and it has since possessed his name.

Fabian Garcia was an early horticulturalist, one of the members of the first graduating class from New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (now New Mexico State University). He was part of the faculty for 51 years, beginning immediately after his graduation. People credit him with bringing attention to Mexican cuisine in America. Today, Mexican food is consumed in such a quantity that it is just barely beaten by Italian food. Garcia worked on so many different crops while he was part of the faculty that chiles were not even his priority, but they became the crop that New Mexican’s clung to and wove into their culture. He aimed to cultivate a chile that could be enjoyed by people who were not as intimately familiar with spicy foods as the people who regularly consumed chiles, and he succeeded. For this achievement, Fabian Garcia was dubbed the father of the U.S. chile pepper industry. Without his dedication to making chiles more accessible and easier to eat for a wide variety of people, chiles would not have the fame that they do today. His hybridizations led to chile peppers that would ripen from green into a beautiful red. This brilliant red pigment may be used in cosmetics or even as a food coloring in some cases. Over one hundred years after his breeding began, people are still thinking back to the incredible man behind it all. “Dr. Fabian Garcia, a man of humble origins, but a gentleman of extraordinary achievements” is what his plaque at the American Society for Horticultural Science Hall reads.

This is where the Franzoy family comes in. Joseph Franzoy was the first commercial chile farmer in Hatch. When I spoke with Jimmy Lytle, he told me that the first time his grandfather Joseph Franzoy ate a chile, it was at a friend’s house. This friend invited them over for dinner, and as this person had already been using chiles in food for years, he thought nothing of it when dinner was served with chiles. Joseph on the other hand thought it was poison and told his wife Celestina not to eat it. After they were assured it was not poison, they acquired a taste for the spiciness and Joseph began farming chiles commercially. It is quite possible that Dr. Fabian Garcia and Joesph Franzoy may have met, as the commercial chile community was very small at the time. Joseph raised ten children with Celestina, and today his family continues his legacy through the tradition of farming and developing these chiles for the Hatch valley. Joseph’s daughter June married a man named Jim Lytle who joined in on their chile farming traditions.

Dr. Roy Nakayama followed Dr. Garcia in cultivating different chiles after Dr. Garcia was forced to retire due to his ailing health. Jim Lytle worked with Dr. Nakayama and New Mexico State University (NMSU) to develop a hatch chile that was fondly named Big Jim. This variety holds the record for the longest chile to date, which measured in at 17 inches in 2012.

Jimmy Lytle, the son of Big Jim, continues the chile work today. Along with his son Faron, Jimmy developed the Lumbre chile, from which we derive the Lumbre chile powder, over the course of nine years. This chile is the hottest of the hatch varieties. When I spoke with Jimmy on the phone, he said he is in fact working on a new chile, but he wouldn’t say what kind of chile it will be. Hopefully something hotter than even the Lumbre. New Mexico State University is also continuing to develop chiles, with their newest varieties being called the NuMex Pumpkin Spice, the NuMex Lemon Spice, and the NuMex Orange Spice chiles.

Aside from chile developing and farming, Jimmy also loves to hunt all year round. “Everything. Antelope, coyote- anything that walks, breathes, or crawls, I’ll hunt it.”

What Does Lumbre Chile Taste Like?

The Lumbre chile is a very spicy chile and although it is edible, it does have a prerequisite- a tolerance for hot food. In fact, the Lytle family promises that this chile tastes like fire itself. Prepare your mouth for this level of heat by prepping with something less spicy and building up to it slowly. Use only a tiny bit of the powder to season your food, unless you are particularly daring.

This chile has a uniform, extra -hot, pungent flavor that is not for the faint of heart.

Expect the superior, legendary taste of this hatch region chile powder to overwhelm your mouth with a sensory experience unlike any other.

Types of Hatch Chiles

There are quite a few different types of chiles. Hatch chiles are simply grown in the Hatch valley of New Mexico, they are not a specific type of chile alone. Hatch chile is an umbrella term for chiles like the Lumbre or the NuMex Big Jim, as well as other varieties like the New Mexico 6-4 or the Barker Extra Hot, which were grown in Hatch. The people of this village stick to the belief that the combination of climate, water, and perfect soil are what make all varieties considered Hatch to be the very best.

Cultivation

The Lumbre chile took 9 years from start to finish to develop. A chile must grow for at least five years before the chile is considered stable enough to become its own variety. Jimmy said that there was nothing special about developing this chile, he just wanted something hotter.

This is a chile with a short, narrow pod ranging from 4 to 7 inches. It has an average skin thickness. Despite being the smallest and hottest of all of the hatch chiles, it really packs a heat and flavor punch.

Lumbre seeds can take 21 or more days to germinate, which is longer than most other Hatch chiles, and the main growth takes place from March to August. They require roughly four acre feet of water to grow properly. An acre foot is a measurement of water that is equivalent to an acre’s dimensions lengthwise and widthwise and a foot of depth. One acre foot is said to be able to take care of the average American family’s water needs for a year.

When it is time to gauge if the chiles are ready to be picked, someone goes out and touches them, feeling for the right amount of firmness. Jo Lytle said that is how all the chiles are picked, as it is not really a look but more a touch that is necessary to tell if they’re ready. When you know, you know.

Like other chiles of the Hatch region, this chile begins green and slowly turns red as it ages. Chiles are frequently picked while green, as they are considered ripe while still green. The redness comes from sitting on the plant for a longer period of time. The heat and the sweetness of the chile increase as it ripens, but you probably will not notice the latter as you will be too busy trying to extinguish the flames in your mouth.

Problems Facing Hatch Chiles

Hatch chiles are only grown in the Hatch region of New Mexico, but some people have taken advantage of their fame and tried to ride the coattails. Some farmers will market their chiles as being “genuine Hatch chiles” when they have actually been grown in Mexico, China, or other countries that have cheap labor and cheaper resources. Farmers and farm hands are losing their footing in America’s market, what with the cheaper foreign alternatives coming in rapidly and in droves. With the North American Free Trade Agreement, Mexico has been able to move in and cash in on their chile peppers being more cheaply produced and cheaper for the American consumer, who is grabbing up more chile peppers than ever before in American history.

Another issue facing Chile farmers is the lack of land, and that is due to the rapid change in nature. Temperatures are on the rise, and with warmer temperatures comes a quicker ripening in the chile farms. This messes with their harvesting schedule. Water is an ongoing issue as well, as increased droughts with longer dry times are robbing the plants of their much-needed water and not all farms have access to wells or the resources to guarantee their plants the right amount of water.

Cooking with Lumbre Chile

Bacon wrapped chiles can be a good appetizer. While the bacon is still raw roll it around in Mexican oregano and chile powder mix to amp up the flavor and the spice. Wrap the bacon around the chiles and grill them for a spicy start to your evening.
Lumbre chile infused tequila, or spicy tequila, is a delicious drink that can be easily replicated at home. This is an interesting changeup to the usual drink you’ll find at the bar. Add chile powder and chilled tequila to a shaker, shake it, then serve.

Hatch chile ice cream is an ice cream that is made only for a short period of time and then once it’s gone, it’s gone for the season. L.A. Creamery was the first to popularize this kind of treat, and recipes for it can be found all over the internet. You do not have to use fresh chiles, you can use powdered chile similarly.

Hatch chile party cheese balls, which are a soft feta cheese and diced chile pepper ball rolled in chopped pine nuts, topped with a sliver of roasted chile and then sprinkled with lumbre chile powder. This is a good way to introduce people to the world of chiles, or to pleasantly surprise the avid chile eater.

Chocolate chip cookies can even be made better by the addition of some Lumbre chile powder. In a wonderful recipe from Freida’s, I discovered that hatch chiles can become a new part of this timeless classic.

Chiles have such a unique place in the lives of people in Hatch that it is nearly impossible to find a recipe online that someone from Hatch has not tried with chiles or chile powder. When I talked to Jo Lytle she said they use Lumbre chiles in everything they cook. “Lasagna, soup, whatever. Jimmy’s favorites are the Big Jim and the Sandia, though.”

Arguably the most famous of all the chile dishes available is the chile rellenos. These began in the city of Puebla, Mexico, and they are made by roasting the chiles, peeling the skin, slicing them open, and then pulling the insides out to be replaced with a stuffing made from cheese and Mexican oregano. The peppers are then closed up again, secured with toothpicks, and then fried. A chile sauce is also poured over these chiles, then they are dashed with chile powder, and finally they are consumed immediately while hot.

Heat Level

The Scoville scale is used to determine how hot a chile is. Capsaicin in chile peppers is what gives them their heat. Capsaicin has the unique ability to trick a person’s nerves and brain into thinking it is being burned. Capsaicin can cause irritation in the eyes, nose, and throat, and must be dealt with carefully. The more capsaicin that is present in a chile, the hotter and more dangerous it can become. When the tongue is exposed to something with a lot of capsaicin, and it is not given the proper care or relief, there is a chance for blisters to form. Capsaicin is considered a pesticide because it deters bears, dogs, and some pests like insects or rodents. Avoid touching your eyes after dealing with capsaicin, as you could severely damage your eyes and vision. Submerge your hands in milk after you have finished interacting with capsaicin, and keep in mind that you will have to wash many times before all of it is gone from your hands. Casein is the protein in milk that unbinds capsaicin from the nerves, so if you get it in your eyes or mouth, make sure to flush them out with milk for some rapid relief. Use gloves when you can, and be careful. Interestingly, birds are not affected by capsaicin.

Scoville ratings are not perfect, but the Lumbre chile rates at about 35,000 SHU. This is a heat comparable or relative to that of the average cayenne pepper.

The hottest chile pepper known to man is the Dragon’s Breath chile. It has a rating of 2.48 million SHU. This chile pepper is not intended for consumption, but has been cultivated to be used as an anesthetic for people who are allergic to other forms of anesthetic.